Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Industry

Ross Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress is being made on creating sector deals as part of the industrial strategy.

Claire Perry: There is good progress being made on a number of early sector deals, including the life sciences sector, which published a report to Government last week and intent to have reached agreement on six sector deals for the white paper later this year. The early sector deals will serve as an example of how Government can work with sectors of the economy to enhance their earning power. We are prepared to work with any sector which can organise strong leadership to address shared challenges and opportunities to grow the earning potential and engagement in their sector. .

Apprentices: Living Wage

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government has plans to increase the national living wage for apprentices above £3.50 per hour.

Margot James: The independent Low Pay Commission (LPC) review and recommend the National Minimum Wage rates each year, following extensive consultation and analysis. Their recommendations for 2018 will be provided to the Government in autumn, and Ministers will announce the rates, including the apprentice rate, to apply from April 2018 following that.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Glasgow East

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 7643, if he or a Minister of his Department will undertake to visit a company headquartered in Glasgow East constituency in 2017.

Margot James: My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State and Ministers in the Department found it extremely valuable to meet businesses from across Scotland when they last visited. Subject to Parliamentary business, we look forward to visiting again in the future.

Shareholders

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will introduce legislative proposals to prohibit nominee shareholdings.

Margot James: Shareholding through nominee accounts is commonly used for legitimate investment and commercial reasons. The Government has no plans to introduce legislative proposals to prohibit nominee shareholdings.

Shareholders

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will introduce legislative proposals to require companies to identify all of their shareholders.

Margot James: Companies are already required to identify all of their shareholders. Companies Act 2006 requires companies to keep a register of members and enter the details of members in this register (in the case of a company limited by shares, the members are the shareholders). The register of members must be kept available for inspection at the company’s registered office and any person may request to inspect it on payment of any fee set by the company (the size of which is limited by legislation).

Companies: Directors

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will introduce legislative proposals to prohibit directors of companies registered in the UK Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories from acting as directors of UK registered companies.

Margot James: The Small Business Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 inserts new sections 156A-C in the Companies Act 2006 that will require that all company directors should be natural persons and prohibit (subject to exceptions) the appointment of corporate entities as directors. The Government will bring forward regulations to set out the exceptions and commence this requirement when Parliamentary time allows.

Ministry of Defence

Poland: Military Alliances

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the Government plans to sign the defence co-operation treaty with Poland announced in the joint communiqué issued in December 2016.

Mark Lancaster: The plan is for the UK/Poland Bilateral Defence Cooperation Treaty to be signed by the end of this calendar year, at the next PM-led Inter-Governmental Consultations.

Ministry of Defence: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many civil servants in his Department are part of the Government Commercial Function; and how many of those civil servants have been seconded (a) outside of government and (b) in from outside of government in each year since 2012.

Harriett Baldwin: As at 15 September 2017, 1,940 Ministry of Defence (MOD) civil servants were part of the Government Commercial Function.Since 2012, 20 MOD civil servants within the Commercial Function have been seconded to non- Governmental organisations.Individuals seconded into the MOD from non-Governmental organisations would not be classed as civil servants if they remained on their former company's payroll. Those who do transfer onto the MOD payroll would no longer be classed as secondees.Note: Numbers provided have been rounded to the nearest five.

Ministry of Defence: Arabic

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his most recent assessment is of the level of Arabic-language proficiency in his Department.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) regularly reviews its requirements for linguists and trains its personnel accordingly. The level of Arabic language proficiency in the MOD is sufficient to meet current Defence needs.

Poland: Military Alliances

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what specific areas of co-operation will be covered by the UK's defence co-operation treaty with Poland announced in the joint communiqué issued in December 2016.

Mark Lancaster: The Treaty will provide a framework for defence cooperation that includes a range of areas where we may wish to work together, such as training, exercises, sharing information and defence industry.The text for the Treaty is still under negotiation and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment in further detail.

Poland: Military Alliances

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the added value a bilateral defence co-operation treaty with Poland will bring to existing NATO guarantees between the UK and Poland.

Mark Lancaster: The UK and Poland have a strong bilateral relationship; we have approximately 150 UK troops deployed to Poland on a persistent basis as part of enhanced Forward Presence. We are both important members of NATO. The UK/Poland bilateral Defence Cooperation Treaty will provide a framework for collaboration that is complementary to our work in NATO but in no way supersedes it. We have other bilateral treaties with NATO Allies, such as France, which work in a similar manner.

Ministry of Defence: Public Expenditure

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will provide the data set out in tables 6, 7 and 10 of the document entitled MoD Regional Expenditure with UK Industry and Commerce and Supported Employment 2015-16 as it relates to Scotland.

Harriett Baldwin: Between 2013 and 2016, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) spent £4,203million (£4,234million in Constant Prices) in Scotland. The data in the tables below is a subset of the overall data used to produce Tables 6, 7 and 10 in the ‘MOD Regional Expenditure with UK Industry and Commerce and Supported Employment publication 2015/16.’ Information on how the figures were calculated can be found in the original publication at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-regional-expenditure-with-uk-industry-and-supported-employment-201516  Table 6 - MOD Expenditure with Industry in Scotland in Current Prices: Breakdown by Industry Group The figures in this table have been rounded to the nearest £1 million Where rounding has been used, totals and sub-totals have been rounded separately and so may not equal the sum of the rounded parts (£ million)SIC (07)SectionDescription2013/142014/152015/16Scotland Total1,3031,3931,507A,BAgriculture, Fishing and Mining---CManufacturing, excluding those industries itemised below7210877Weapons & Ammunition364131Data Processing Equipment---Other Electrical Engineering2599Electronics9113Precision Instruments1287711Motor Vehicles & Parts331Shipbuilding & Repairing396497831Aircraft & Spacecraft624224D, EElectricity, Gas & Water192019FConstruction13615880GWholesale & Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles20116H, I, JHotels, Catering & Restaurants131514Transport via Railways---Other Land Transport (incl. via pipelines)---Water, Air and Auxiliary/freight supply transportation101010Post & Courier Services---Telecommunications---K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, TTechnical and Financial Services, Business Activities, Education, Health and Other Service Activities excluding those industries itemised below90105146Real Estate & Renting---Computer Services282287244   Table 7 - MOD Expenditure with Industry in Scotland in Constant 2015/16 Prices: Breakdown by Industry Group The figures in this table have been rounded to the nearest £1 million Where rounding has been used, totals and sub-totals have been rounded separately and so may not equal the sum of the rounded parts  (£ million)SIC (07)SectionDescription2013/142014/152015/16Scotland Total1,3281,3991,507A,BAgriculture, Fishing and Mining---CManufacturing, excluding those industries itemised below7310877Weapons & Ammunition374131Data Processing Equipment---Other Electrical Engineering2699Electronics10113Precision Instruments1307711Motor Vehicles & Parts331Shipbuilding & Repairing403500831Aircraft & Spacecraft644224D, EElectricity, Gas & Water202019FConstruction13915880GWholesale & Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles20116H, I, JHotels, Catering & Restaurants131514Transport via Railways---Other Land Transport (incl. via pipelines)---Water, Air and Auxiliary/freight supply transportation101010Post & Courier Services---Telecommunications---K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, TTechnical and Financial Services, Business Activities, Education, Health and Other Service Activities excluding those industries itemised below91105146Real Estate & Renting---Computer Services287288244   Table 10 - Jobs Supported by MOD Expenditure with Industry in Scotland: Breakdown by Industry Group The figures in this table have been rounded to the nearest 50 jobs.  Where rounding has been used, totals and sub-totals have been rounded separately and so may not equal the sum of the rounded parts   SIC (07)SectionDescription2013/142014/152015/16Scotland Total8,8009,5509,750A,BAgriculture, Fishing and Mining---CManufacturing, excluding those industries itemised below400600400Weapons & Ammunition200200150Data Processing Equipment---Other Electrical Engineering1505050Electronics50100-Precision Instruments85050050Motor Vehicles & Parts---Shipbuilding & Repairing2,9503,5505,350Aircraft & Spacecraft200150100D, EElectricity, Gas & Water10010050FConstruction850900400GWholesale & Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles5050-H, I, JHotels, Catering & Restaurants250250250Transport via Railways---Other Land Transport (incl. via pipelines)---Water, Air and Auxiliary/freight supply transportation505050Post & Courier Services---Telecommunications---K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, TTechnical and Financial Services, Business Activities, Education, Health and Other Service Activities excluding those industries itemised below9001,0001,150Real Estate & Renting---Computer Services1,9002,0501,600

Warships: Shipbuilding

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 9, paragraph 15 of the National Shipbuilding Strategy, if he will define the term points of presence.

Harriett Baldwin: The term points of presence refers to the locations in which we will wish the Royal Navy to provide support, be visible, engage and project influence, in order to deliver the National Security Strategy objectives and contribute to a Global Britain.

Warships: Shipbuilding

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 10, paragraph 16 of the National Shipbuilding Strategy, if he will publish comparable statistics on the performance of the UK maritime and marine sectors for each of the last seven years.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 10, paragraph 16 of the National Shipbuilding Strategy, what estimate he has made of the value of the UK maritime and marine sector by region.

Harriett Baldwin: The figures referenced in the National Shipbuilding Strategy cannot be disaggregated by region. They are estimates for 2014, based on data from official sources. We also have statistics for 2012, which were published in the Maritime Growth Study.

Type 23 Frigates

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which of the currently operational Type 23 frigates are not planned to contribute to NATO's Standing Maritime Groups.

Mark Lancaster: The UK continues its active commitment to NATO. Currently, one Type 45 destroyer and an offshore hydrographic survey vessel are performing the role of flagship for two Standing NATO Maritime Groups, with a mine counter measures vessel also contributing. In addition to the Standing NATO Maritime Groups, naval Service personnel from all arms of the Service regularly participate in NATO exercises.For security reasons, we do not disclose the detail of the future scheduling of Royal Navy units, as this would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Rosyth Dockyard: Materials Handling Equipment

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what representations his Department received from officials of other governments on the sale of the Rosyth Goliath crane.

Harriett Baldwin: The sale of the Goliath crane is being managed by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance. There has been considerable interest in buying the crane and companies around the world have registered an interest, but to date there have been no representations from officials of other governments.

Type 31 Frigates

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the National Shipbuilding Strategy, what the timeframe is for the competition to build the Type 31e frigate.

Harriett Baldwin: Pre-procurement activity with industry has begun and will continue into early 2018 when we plan to formally start the competitive process. We plan to award a single design and build contract in 2019, allowing us to trial and accept the first ship into service in 2023.

Weapons

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, who from his Department will represent the UK at the November meetings of the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons in Geneva and Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons; and what the priorities of those attending those meetings will be.

Mark Lancaster: The UK delegation will include military and Ministry of Defence (MOD) civilian personnel from the Counter-Proliferation and Arms Control Centre, Development Concepts and Doctrine Centre and Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. A priority for the MOD is to support the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in fulfilling our commitments as a proactive State Party to the CCW. MOD participation will allow us to share our thinking on autonomy, notably as set out in the recently published Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) doctrine note. This forms part of our efforts to build improved understanding at the international level in the debate on Armed Forces' use of remote and automated systems.

Type 31 Frigates

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 24, paragraph 67 of the National Shipbuilding Strategy, what plans are in place to develop exportable through life support solutions for Type 31e frigates built for foreign navies.

Harriett Baldwin: One of our key aims in procuring the Type 31e frigate is to minimise the cost of owning the ships. A key factor in achieving this aim will be keeping maintenance to a minimum and simplifying maintenance tasks wherever possible.We expect that designing ease of maintenance into the ships from the outset will be highly attractive to potential export customers.

Type 31 Frigates

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 18, paragraph 44 of the National Shipbuilding Strategy, whether he expects that prime contractors will bear the cost of any programme cost overruns in the Type 31e programme following the main gate investment decision.

Harriett Baldwin: The detailed commercial arrangements have yet to be agreed but it is the intent to maximise the transfer of risk to the contractor during this programme, and minimise the dependencies that the Ministry of Defence will manage.

Type 31 Frigates

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 23, paragraph 61 of the National Shipbuilding Strategy, what assessments contributed to the setting of a maximum £250 million per ship price for the Type 31e frigate.

Harriett Baldwin: The National Shipbuilding Strategy makes clear that we judge that the capabilities the Royal Navy requires can be accommodated within this price, and our market research indicates that beyond this price the vessels would not be attractive to the sector of the export market we are targeting. We have conducted and shared market analysis with industry that reflects the Government's perspective of the international defence market place, and an assessment of the probability of success in securing customers.

Warships: Shipbuilding

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 13, paragraph 36 of the National Shipbuilding Strategy, whether the Master Plan for naval shipbuilding will be released into the pubic domain.

Harriett Baldwin: The National Shipbuilding Strategy states, on page 21 paragraph 52, that the detailed Master Plan for internal use will not be publicly released. However, we have developed a public version (see Figure 3 of the Shipbuilding Strategy) which shows our broad thinking for the future fleet.

Warships: Shipbuilding

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 15, paragraph 40 of the National Shipbuilding Strategy, what the timetable is for the formulation of a Client Board and when it will meet.

Harriett Baldwin: The National Shipbuilding Strategy Client Board has met four times since January 2017.

Ministry of Defence: Chief Scientific Advisers

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department will appoint a Chief Science Advisor.

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to appoint a Chief Scientific Adviser.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Hugh Durrant-Whyte took up the post as Chief Scientific Adviser to the Ministry of Defence in April 2017.

Armed Forces: Pay

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total salary commitment of each service of the armed forces is by country and region.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The attached table provides details of total annualised salary for payments of UK Regular Armed Forces by Service, country and region as at 1 July 2017.



105100 - MOD Statistics on Armed Forces Pay
(Excel SpreadSheet, 21.75 KB)

Antiship Missiles

Andrew Bowie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the Royal Navy's decision to withdraw the Harpoon anti-ship missile by the end of 2018 on the capabilities of the Royal Navy.

Harriett Baldwin: The Royal Navy continuously reviews the capabilities it requires. While work is in hand to consider options for the replacement of the Harpoon missile system, the Navy has decided to extend its service life beyond 2018.

Ministry of Defence: Redundancy Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 8368, on Ministry of Defence: redundancy pay, how much was paid in redundancy payments to civilian personnel who are (a) men and (b) women.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The information is not held in the format requested.

Royal Welsh: Recruitment

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many recruits to the Royal Welsh regiment were resident in Wales in each of the last five years.

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many recruits to the Welsh Guards regiment were resident in Wales in each of the last five years.

Mark Lancaster: The number of recruits to the Royal Welsh regiment and Welsh Guards regiment who were resident in Wales in each of the last four years is shown in the table below. Data prior to 2013-14 is not held centrally.  Financial Year2013-142014-152015-162016-17Welsh Guards regiment20605030Royal Welsh regiment40708070 Data is a single service estimate and not official statistics.Data is based on recruits who were assigned to a Phase 1 training course and expressed a first preference for the relevant infantry regiment.Data is based upon recruit postcode being affiliated with one of the Army Careers Centres in Wales.Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.Rounding is necessary, as a means of disclosure control and the preservation of anonymity.

Arms Control

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent representations his Department has made to the Council of Ministers and other relevant EU mechanisms on continued co-operation on arms control; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: Ministers and senior officials regularly discuss arms control issues with their counterparts in partner countries and all relevant organisations. We work cooperatively through the EU and OSCE, and will continue to do so.

Armed Forces: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will base Welsh regiments in Wales when they are not on active service.

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will conduct a consultation with Welsh regiments about basing them in Wales when they are not on active service.

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential benefits to the Welsh economy of basing Welsh regiments in Wales when those regiments are not on active service.

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of potential locations in Wales that could be used to base Welsh regiments when those regiments are not on active service.

Mark Lancaster: There is no plan to base in Wales those regiments traditionally recruited from it or to conduct a consultation. Consistent with the Better Defence Estate Strategy announced in November 2016, the role, command and training requirements of these regiments mean that they are better located elsewhere to deliver the best possible Defence capability.

Queen's Dragoon Guards: Recruitment

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many recruits to the Queen's Dragoon Guards regiment were resident in Wales in each of the last five years.

Mark Lancaster: The Queen's Dragoon Guards is one of 14 Royal Armoured Corps (RAC) regiments. The RAC does not recruit into the specific regiments, as assignment does not take place until phase 2 training.

Trident

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions (a) he and (b) his predecessors have had with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the relevance of UK civil nuclear industry skills and supply chains to the maintaining of UK nuclear submarine and wider nuclear weapons capabilities in the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: We engage regularly with counterparts from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), other Government Departments and industry, to address the issue of nuclear skills across both the defence and civil nuclear sectors, and will continue to do so. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) and BEIS are represented on the cross-Government Nuclear Skills Strategy Group and Nuclear Industry Council, which provides senior level oversight. The MOD and BEIS co-chaired the UK Nuclear Skills Summit in March 2017, including key industry partners and the nuclear regulator, which discussed next steps for the work already underway across the nuclear skills agenda. In all discussions it is fully understood that civil and defence sectors must work together to make sure resource is prioritised appropriately for the protection and prosperity of the United Kingdom.

Army Reserve

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment has been made of impact of the closure of Army Reserve centres on levels of recruitment.

Mark Lancaster: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on the 18 July 2017 to Question 4377 to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Mr Smith). We continue to make good progress with recruitment into the Army Reserve. The total strength of the Army Reserve was 30,140 as at 1 August 2017, which is an increase of 960 since 1 August 2016.



Armed Forces: Recruitment
(Word Document, 12.4 KB)

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many civil servants in his Department are part of the Government Commercial Function; and how many of those civil servants have been seconded  (a) outside of government and (b) in from outside of government in each year since 2012.

George Eustice: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs currently has no civil servants that are part of the Government Commercial Function. Defra's Commercial Director was part of the Government Commercial Function but has recently left the department.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers of his Department have had with the Chief Scientific Adviser in his Department in the last three months.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Ministers of his department meet regularly with departmental advisers, including the department’s Chief Scientific Adviser. Over a three month period, this covers a number of meetings varying in scope and personnel, and the department does not hold a central list of all such meetings.

Home Office

Cryptocurrencies: Crime

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the extent of the potential use of cryptocurrencies for criminal purposes; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Ben  Wallace: In the National Strategic Assessment published by the National Crime Agency (NCA) in 2017, the NCA assessed that cryptocurrencies will remain an enabler for online criminality because of their accessibility, perceived anonymity, speed of cross-border payments and irreversible payment mechanism. http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/807-national-strategic-assessment-of-serious-and-organised-crime-2017/file The UK’s first National Risk Assessment (NRA) of money laundering was published on 15 October 2015. It identified the threats and vulnerabilities faced in this area, and assessed that such currencies posed a low risk for money laundering.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-national-risk-assessment-of-money-laundering-and-terrorist-financing The Government is currently updating the NRA, which will provide an updated view of the money laundering risk posed by cryptocurrencies. The NRA will be published in the autumn.

Israel: Visas

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Israel and the UK have reciprocal visa requirements for visits of six months or less; and whether there are any additional requirements that Israel places on UK citizens visiting Israel that the UK does not place on Israeli citizens visiting the UK.

Brandon Lewis: The UK and Israel do not have reciprocal visa requirements, including for visits. Such requirements are matters for the respective country. The Immigration Rules for visitors - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-v-visitor-rules - set out the requirements that applicants must meet in order to visit the UK. These include that the applicant must satisfy the decision maker that they are a genuine visitor who will leave the UK at the end of their visit and will not make the UK their main home through frequent or successive visits.

Seasonal Agricultural Workers' Scheme

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the length of time required to introduce a new seasonal agricultural workers' scheme.

Brandon Lewis: The government could put a system in place to facilitate a SAWS scheme within six months.

Asylum

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to introduce regulations under the Immigration Act 2016 relating to new support arrangements for individuals or families refused asylum.

Brandon Lewis: Implementation of the changes made by the Immigration Act 2016 to asylum support under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 and to local authority support for migrants without immigration status will involve engagement with local authorities, the devolved administrations and other partners on the preparation of the required regulations. We have not yet made a decision on the timing of this work.

Compass Contracts

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many of the six Compass contracts for asylum accommodation include (a) a supply chain assurance strategy or (b) open-book accounting clauses.

Brandon Lewis: The 6 COMPASS contracts for asylum accommodation each contain clauses and requirements for each provider to: (a) Have in place a supply chain procedure/strategy that ensures that the services can be fully delivered in accordance with the contract.(b) Have in place ‘Open-Book Accounting’ practices. Copies of the contracts can be found at: https://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archive/contract/503107/

Passports: Republic of Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passport applications from residents of the Republic of Ireland were processed through the Belfast Passport Office in each year since 2012.

Brandon Lewis: The table below provides the volume of UK passport applications from residents of the Republic of Ireland that were processed by the passport office in Belfast in each financial year from 2014/15 to 2016/17.  Financial YearTotal Processed2014-159,6072015-1610,3432016-1710,275I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 7 December 2015, UIN 18581, which confirms why Her Majesty’s Passport Office is not able to provide data prior to 2014/15.

Entry Clearances: India

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress has been made to conclude entry clearance application GWF 043559042 lodged at post in New Delhi on 4 May 2017 and received by her Department on 9 May 2017.

Brandon Lewis: We do not routinely comment on individual cases.

UK Visas and Immigration: Sheffield

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department provides to the visa processing centre, Sheffield on the handling of visa entry clearance applications for a (a) spouse and (b) fiancé which have not been processed within 12 weeks; and if she will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: All UKVI Decision Making Centres follow the same Customer Service Standards when handling visa entry clearance applications. Customer Service Standards for Settlement for those applying from outside the UK can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration/about-our-services

UK Visas and Immigration: Sheffield

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department provides to the visa processing centre, Sheffield on the recording of (a) courier receipts and (b) tracking data for documents relating to applications for visas for entry clearance.

Brandon Lewis: Documents relating to applications are dispatched to Sheffield by approved couriers who utilise specific tracking systems throughout the process. Where documents are sent directly to Sheffield they are recorded by staff upon receipt.

Immigration: Biometrics

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 8184, on immigration: biometrics, what the timetable is for that review to be completed; and if she will ensure the publication of a report setting out the findings of that review.

Brandon Lewis: As per answer of 11 September 2017, there is no specific review of the biometric process underway. UK Visas and Immigration is, however are committed to the principles of continuous improvement in all areas and to applying these to ensure processes are efficient and effective.

Asylum: Glasgow East

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 7641,  how many asylum cases had an initial decision made in the year prior to 30 June 2017 for applicants who gave a last address which was within Glasgow East constituency.

Brandon Lewis: The specific information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate costs. The latest release of the asylum transparency agenda can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-transparency-data-august-2017

Visas: Malawi

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visit visas issued to Malawi nationals expired unused during the latest period for which figures are available.

Brandon Lewis: The information you have requested is not included in statistics published by the Home Office.

Visas: Malawi

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what average time taken was by her Department to process visit visa applications for Malawi nationals in the latest period for which figures are available.

Brandon Lewis: The specific data requested is not published by the Home Office. Information on the total number of visa applications, grants and refusals by nationality, is published quarterly. The most recent information can be found in the Home Office publication ‘Immigration Statistics, April – June 2017’. The breakdown of the visa applications and decisions by nationality is published in Visas volume 1 , table vi 02 q ‘Entry clearance visa applications and resolution by country of nationality’, available from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-april-to-june-2017/list-of-tables#visas.

Overseas Students: EU Nationals

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to ensure that EU nationals applying for a place on a UK university course will not face additional migration barriers throughout any transitional period after the UK leaves the EU.

Brandon Lewis: The Government’s policy paper (Cm 9464), which was laid before Parliament on 26 June, states that in order to help provide certainty for EU students starting courses as we implement the UK’s exit, current EU students and those starting courses at a university or FE institution in the 2017/18 and 2018/19 academic years, will have a right to remain in the UK to complete their course. We are considering the options for our future immigration system very carefully. As part of that, it is important that we understand the impacts of different options on different sectors of the economy, including universities, and on specific groups such as students. We will be outlining further details of the new future immigration system in due course.

UK Border Force: Social Media

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which Act of Parliament enables Border Force officers to access social media of people presenting at the UK border.

Brandon Lewis: Border Force officers do not require a specific power to access information that is published and available in the public domain. That includes social media websites. Border Force does not access private social media accounts that are not in the public domain.

Overseas Students: English Language

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) visa refusal decisions, (b) visa curtailment decisions and (c) removals have been made in respect of overseas students whose Test of English for International Communication certificates were cancelled by Educational Training Services since February 2014.

Brandon Lewis: UKVI transparency data provides details of refusal, curtailments and removal decisions in response to the abuse of secure English language testing. A link to the most recent available data is provided here; https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/temporary-and-permanent-migration-data-february-2017 The table in SELT_01 and SELT_02 is the closest match to the information requested.  The data was last published in February 2017 and only contains data to the last quarter (December 2016). ETS data is no longer published after this date.

Overseas Students: English Language

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what has been the cost to her Department of the legal action arising from (a) visa curtailments and (b) removals of overseas students whose Test of English for International Communication certificates have been cancelled by the Educational Testing Services since February 2014.

Brandon Lewis: This information is unavailable because Home Office data systems are unable to disaggregate legal costs in line with the categories in the question.

Visas

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of visitor visas were granted to applicants of each country in each of the last 10 years.

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of Tier 5 (Temporary Worker - Creative and Sporting) visas were granted to applicants of each nationality in each of the last 10 years.

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of visitor visas were granted to applicants of each nationality in each of the last 10 years.

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of (b) Tier 5 (Temporary Work Visas - Creative and Sporting) were granted to applicants of each country in each of the last 10 years.

Brandon Lewis: Information on the total number of Tier 5 (Creative and Sporting) and Visitor visa applications and grants is published quarterly. The most recent information can be found in the Home Office publication ‘Immigration Statistics, April – June 2017’. A breakdown of Tier 5 – Creative and Sporting visa grants by nationality is published in Visas data tables volume 2, table vi_06_q_w and Visitor visa grants by nationality is published in Visas data tables volume 3, table vi_06_q_o , available from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-april-to-june-2017/list-of-tables#visas.

Overseas Students: English Language

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the cost of re-testing overseas students whose certificates for the Test of English for International Communication were cancelled by Educational Testing Services since February  2014; and if she will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office is not able to answer this question. The cost to re-sit a secure English language test was met by the individual and not the Home Office.

Immigration: Appeals

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refusals of indefinite leave to remain were overturned on appeal between March 2016 and March 2017; how many of these appeals were not challenged by her Department; how many of those cases have been processed; and how many of those cases have been processed where her Department offered no challenge.

Brandon Lewis: The information on appeals is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost through the examination of individual case files. Statistics on appeals that have been determined by HM Courts and Tribunals Service are published quarterly. The most recent edition (Tribunals and gender recognitions certificates statistics quarterly: January to March 2017 and 2016 to 2017) is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tribunals-and-gender-recognitions-certificates-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2017-and-2016-to-2017

UK Border Agency: Telephone Services

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate the Government has made of the amount which accrues to the public purse of telephone calls made to the UK Border Agency.

Brandon Lewis: UK Visas and Immigration in–country contact centres provide information about the Immigration Rules and the Points Based System requirements via a number of published customer enquiry line numbers. In 2014, in line with Cabinet Office guidance , UKVI changed all 0845 and 0870 prefix helpline numbers to lower call tariff rate 0300 prefix numbers. UKVI do not generate any income from these non-geographic numbers enquiry lines. For overseas customers, UK Visas and Immigration have a chargeable call rates of £1.37 per minute this charge is levied to fund the commercial contract as the UK government believes it is right that those who use and benefit directly from the UK immigration system make an appropriate contribution towards meeting the costs of the immigration system. Those who use the services from outside the UK are predominantly prospective customers and in many cases no application will be made and no application fee collected. Our web site www.gov.uk is the main source of information and advice and is free of charge.

Visas

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what targets are in place for the production of (a) visitor and (b) Tier 5 (Temporary Work) visas to be granted from overseas visa application centres; and whether such targets differ by country of application.

Brandon Lewis: UKVI’s published timescale for processing standard visa applications is 12 weeks (60 working days) for straightforward settlement applications, and three weeks (15 working days) for straightforward non-settlement applications.If an application is not straightforward and expected to take longer than the standard processing timescale, UKVI will write to the customer within the standard processing time and explain what will happen next.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what terms of reference she has set for the study of the economic and social contributions and costs of EU citizens in the UK that she has commissioned from the independent Migration Advisory Committee; and whether other studies covering social and cultural contributions will be commissioned.

Brandon Lewis: On 27 July, my Right Honourable Friend the Home Secretary commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to gather evidence on patterns of EU migration and the role of migration in the wider economy, ahead of our exit from the EU, as well as aligning the UK immigration system with a modern industrial strategy We have asked the MAC to report by September 2018 but the MAC may wish to provide interim reports throughout the period. The full commission is available online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/633321/Commission_to_the_MAC.pdf The Government will carefully consider any recommendations made to it by the MAC before finalising the details of the future immigration system for EU nationals.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for EU nationals to apply for special status.

Brandon Lewis: All qualifying EU citizens and their family members will be given adequate time to apply for the new settled status. A grace period of blanket permission will last from EU exit day for a fixed period of time, which we will specify in due course, but which we expect to be up to two years. The Government intends to introduce a voluntary scheme to enable eligible EU citizens and their family members to apply for this status before the UK leaves the EU, if they wish to do so. We will publish further details regarding the timetable in due course but we intend to launch in 2018.

Immigrants: Detainees

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the implications are for her policies on the use of immigration detention of the Panorama documentary of 4 September 2017.

Brandon Lewis: The Government takes the allegations raised by BBC Panorama, and the welfare of immigration detainees generally, very seriously. The Government’s policy remains that detention should be used only sparingly and for the shortest period necessary. Stephen Shaw is currently reviewing Home Office progress against his 2015 recommendations in relation to the welfare of vulnerable people in immigration detention and the Government will keep its policies under review accordingly.

Visas: Malawi

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 7349 on visas: Malawi, when she will next meet with representatives of the Scotland Malawi Partnership.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office has an established dialogue with the Scotland Malawi Partnership, which includes discussion on visas for Malawian nationals. Although the Home Office has received no recent request from the Scotland Malawi Partnership for a meeting we would consider any such request.

Visas: Malawi

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will review the (a) efficacy of procedures and (b) adequacy of the time taken to process visit visas for Malawians.

Brandon Lewis: UKVI continually reviews its global visa operation to improve performance and ensure value for money while maintaining excellent customer service.UKVI’s published timescale for processing standard visa applications is three weeks (15 working days) for straightforward non-settlement applications and12 weeks (60 working days) for straightforward settlement applications.If an application is not straightforward and expected to take longer than the standard processing timescale, UKVI will write to the customer within the standard processing time and explain what will happen next.We also offer a Priority Visa Service for Malawi nationals who wish to pay to have a decision expedited.

HM Treasury

New Businesses: EU Grants and Loans

Alex Norris: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 7295, how much funding UK companies have received from the (a) European Investment Bank and the (b) European Investment Fund in (i) each of the last three years and (ii) each month of the 2017-18.

Stephen Barclay: This information is all publicly available. The European Investment Bank (EIB) publishes details of all projects including dates of approval and signature and total signed amounts. Information on UK EIB projects can be found in the link below. http://www.eib.org/projects/loan/list/?region=1&country=GB The European Investment Fund also publish information on all newly signed operations on their website including signature dates and amounts invested. This can be found in the link below. http://www.eif.org/news_centre/press_releases/all/index.htm

Money Laundering

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which organisations responsible for monitoring and enforcing anti-money laundering laws are not subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what organisations are responsible for monitoring and enforcing anti-money laundering laws.

Stephen Barclay: There are 25 Anti-Money Laundering (AML) supervisors in the UK. These include the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), HM Revenue and Customs, the Gambling Commission and the 22 accountancy and legal professional bodies listed below: Association of Accounting TechniciansAssociation of Chartered Certified AccountantsAssociation of International AccountantsAssociation of Taxation TechniciansChartered Institute of Legal ExecutivesChartered Institute of Management AccountantsChartered Institute of TaxationCouncil for Licensed ConveyancersFaculty of AdvocatesFaculty Office of the Archbishop of CanterburyGeneral Council of the BarGeneral Council of the Bar of Northern IrelandInsolvency Practitioners AssociationInstitute of Certified BookkeepersInstitute of Chartered Accountants in England and WalesInstitute of Chartered Accountants in IrelandInstitute of Chartered Accountants of ScotlandInstitute of Financial AccountantsInternational Association of BookkeepersLaw SocietyLaw Society of Northern IrelandLaw Society of Scotland These supervisors monitor and enforce compliance with AML legislation. This complements the work of law enforcement agencies, including the National Crime Agency, the Serious Fraud Office and local police forces. The government has reviewed the supervisory regime and is implementing reforms to strengthen it. These include creating a new team – the Office for Professional Body AML Supervision (OPBAS) – within the FCA to help, and ensure, professional bodies provide consistently high standards of supervision. OPBAS will also work across the regime, to facilitate high standards amongst statutory supervisors and strengthen supervisors’ collaboration with law enforcement. Law enforcement agencies, the FCA, HM Revenue and Customs and the Gambling Commission are subject to the Freedom of Information Act whilst the 22 professional bodies named above are not. The government supports greater transparency to help build public confidence in our regime, and the 2017 Money Laundering Regulations require that all AML supervisors, including the 22 professional bodies, provide information to inform the Treasury’s Annual Supervision Report.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Buildings

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 8744, Northern Ireland Office: buildings, from who the sub-let income in 2016-17 was from; and for what length of time that part of his Department's estate was sub-let.

Chloe Smith: Pursuant to the answer to question 8744, my Department has received sub-let income of £43,751 from the Civil Service Commissioners for Northern Ireland since 2013-14 and £20,000 from the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland since 2016-17. Both of these organisations are still sub-letting accommodation from the Northern Ireland Office.

Northern Ireland Office: Consultants

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 7938, on Northern Ireland Office: consultants, to who and for what work the daily rate contracts were awarded; to who the other contract referred to in that Answer was awarded; what payment system was used for that other contract; and what work that other contract involved.

Chloe Smith: Pursuant to my previous answer to question 7938, I can confirm that the two daily rate contracts were awarded to Mercator IT Solutions for specialist independent services to assist in the introduction of a new IT platform, and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) for specialist independent services to assist in improving financial management processes. The final contract referred to in that answer was awarded to Murcom on an hourly rate basis for specialist independent services to assist with the introduction of a new records management system.

Northern Ireland Office: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 8763, on Northern Ireland Office: procurement, if he will provide details of the procurement that took more than one year to complete.

Chloe Smith: The procurement that took more than one year to complete was to award a contract to carry out the installation and maintenance of security measures under the auspices of the Northern Ireland Office's Home Protection Scheme.

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: Devolution

Stephen Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the dates were of the most recent meetings between Ministers of his Department and their counterparts in the devolved administrations; and what the dates are of the next planned meetings.

Mark Garnier: DIT Ministers and officials engage with the Devolved Administrations in a variety of ways, including having given evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Relations Committee. We will continue to engage closely with the Devolved Administrations in the future to support trade and investment across the UK.

Defence Equipment: Venezuela

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will publish the assessments made of the military equipment approved for exports to Venezuela between 2015 and 2017.

Mark Garnier: All export licences are issued in strict accordance with the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria.We will not be publishing assessments made of the military equipment approved for exports to Venezuela between 2015 – 2017 because such assessments are confidential.The Government publishes Official Statistics (on a quarterly and annual basis) on export licences granted and refused on GOV.UK. These reports contain detailed information on export licences issued, refused or revoked, by destination, including the overall value, type (e.g. Military, Other) and a summary of the items covered by these licences.Currently this includes information up to 31 March 2017. Information covering 1 April to 30 June 2017 will be published on 17 October 2017 and information covering 1 July to 30 September 2017 will be published on 16 January 2018.

Foreign Investment in UK: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 14 September 2017 to Question 9573, what discussions he has had with those EU companies which are investing most significantly in Wales after the UK leaves the EU.

Mark Garnier: My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade and other Ministers regularly meet with companies that invest in the UK, including on visits abroad, to the regions, and in London. This includes companies investing in regions across the whole of the UK, including Wales.

Arms Trade: Trade Fairs

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with which arms dealers he has had discussions at the Defence and Security Equipment International Conference.

Mark Garnier: My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade met representatives of the following defence companies at DSEI 2017: Thales UK, MBDA and Leonardo.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Broadband: West Yorkshire

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what progress the Government is making against its target to deliver access to superfast broadband to 93 per cent of West Yorkshire by the end of March 2018.

Matt Hancock: It is estimated that the area of West Yorkshire and York will achieve over 96% superfast coverage by the end of March 2018.

Personation: Internet

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had on measures to deal with catfishing in the Internet Safety Strategy.

Matt Hancock: Catfishing is one of the online harms which we are considering as part of our Internet Safety Strategy. The Strategy is due to be published shortly and we will consider ways in which we can ensure Britain is the safest place in the world to be online.

Department of Health

Influenza: Vaccination

Sir David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that the NHS has an adequate supply of flu vaccines in autumn 2017.

Steve Brine: Public Health England (PHE) provides flu vaccines centrally for the children’s flu programme in which eligible children are offered either the nasal spray Fluenz Tetra or an inactivated flu vaccine for those children for whom Fluenz Tetra is unsuitable. Centrally purchased flu vaccines are carefully monitored by PHE to ensure there is equitable distribution across England and sufficient in-date vaccines for patients who present throughout the season. General practitioners and other providers are directly responsible for the flu supplies used to deliver the national flu programme to the other eligible groups. For more information on who is eligible visit:www.nhs.uk/Conditions/vaccinations/Pages/who-should-have-flu-vaccine.aspxPHE maintains some oversight to help facilitate a constant supply of vaccine, liaising with vaccine manufacturers to ascertain whether there are any manufacturing problems that might affect either the number of doses available or the dates of delivery.

Hospitals: Influenza

Sir David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has emergency plans in place to assist NHS hospitals in the event of a severe influenza outbreak this year.

Mr Philip Dunne: Winter can often bring additional challenges for the National Health Service but this year planning started early and the NHS is more prepared for winter than ever before. The NHS is committed to ensuring all patients continue to receive high quality, safe and efficient care as demand over winter increases. This Government has invested an extra £6 billion into the NHS over the last two years, plus £100 million ahead of winter to ease pressures on accident and emergency departments, ensure system resilience and manage demand. An additional £2 billion of funding has been allocated to local authorities over the next three years, including £1 billion for 2017/18 to implement best practice in discharging patients safely and quickly to reduce delayed transfers of care. This year all children between 2-8 years will be offered the nasal spray vaccine to help protect them and their families against influenza. Influenza vaccination remains the best protection against flu, and should be offered to everyone over the age of 65 years, those who are at particular risk to flu, and pregnant women, at the earliest opportunity. Influenza vaccination should also be offered to all frontline healthcare workers through their occupational health teams.

Department of Health: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many civil servants in his Department are part of the Government Commercial Function; and how many of those civil servants have been seconded (a) outside the Government and (b) in from outside the Government in each year since 2012.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department’s Commercial Directorate employs 43 civil servants that are part of the Government Commercial Function (GCF). Of those 43, there are nine civil servants at present that are employed through the Government Commercial Organisation. - 0 of the 43 members of the Commercial Department that are part of the GCF have been seconded outside Government since 2012.  - 0 of the 43 members of the Commercial Department that are part of the GCF have been seconded in from outside Government since 2012.

Drugs: Misuse

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with the Ministry of Justice on making drugs policy a responsibility of his Department.

Steve Brine: As set out in the 2017 Drugs Strategy, the complexity and pervasiveness of drug misuse and the harms it causes means that no one department can tackle it alone. The Home Office remains the lead department for policy on drugs and implementation of the Strategy working closely with the Department of Health, Ministry of Justice and other interested Government Departments and agencies, and there are no plans to change this.

Self-harm: Accident and Emergency Departments

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 6 September 2017 to Question 6832, and with reference to the Answer of 14 November 2016 to Question 51973, whether the process for collection of data on the number of people who attended accident and emergency departments due to intentional self-harm has changed since the Answer of 14 November 2016.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The process for collecting data on attendances at accident and emergency departments due to intentional self-harm has not changed.

Mental Health Services: Clinical Commissioning Groups

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 9368, what reason was given by each clinical commissioning group that did not meet the Mental Health Investment Standard in 2016-17.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 9368, which clinical commissioning groups did not meet the Mental Health Investment Standard in 2016-17.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 9368, whether any action will be taken against each clinical commissioning group that did not meet the Mental Health Investment Standard in 2016-17.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The latest information on the Mental Health Investment Standard (MHIS) is available in the Mental Health Five Year Forward View dashboard on the NHS England website. 2016-17 Q4 data is available at:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/mental-health-five-year-forward-view-dashboard//Performance on the MHIS is a key planning requirement and any clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) not achieving the target are required to give reasons which are then assessed as part of the planning, review and assurance process. NHS England also monitors performance on the MHIS throughout the year alongside performance on non-financial metrics. Where a commissioner fails to achieve the MHIS requirements without valid cause, NHS England may consider regulatory sanctions including in exceptional circumstances imposing directions on the CCGs to increase its level of investment. There are a number of reasons why a CCG may not meet the MHIS, including high investment in the mental health service in previous years, or high investment in other partner CCGs in their region, which would offset any decrease in investment. All reasons and evidence is reviewed locally by NHS England regional teams and nationally as part of internal assurance processes.

NHS: Finance

Mr Simon Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the real terms increase was in NHS funding as set out in the NHS mandate between 2013-14 and 2017-18.

Mr Philip Dunne: The funding outlined in the 2017-18 NHS Mandate represents a £8.479 billion (8.3%) real terms increase on that set out in the 2013-14 Mandate.

*No heading*

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 4 September 2017 to question 8038, how many and what proportion of (a) permanent staff, (b) contractors and (c) agency staff who have worked in his Department for more than three months have completed the Responsible for Information training course.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department does not store this information centrally. Members of staff are encouraged to complete all mandatory learning.

Department of Health: Cybercrime

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 8038, on Department of Health: cybercrime, whether his Department requires contractors to have obtained a certificate from the Government Cyber Essentials scheme; and how many and what proportion of contractors doing work for his Department have obtained such a certificate.

Mr Philip Dunne: Suppliers are only required to demonstrate that they meet the technical requirements prescribed by Cyber Essentials for those contracts involving the transfer of sensitive data, or digital delivery. These requirements are set out in Procurement Policy Note – Cyber Essentials Scheme: Action Note 09/14 (25 May 2016) which can be obtained at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-policy-note-0914-cyber-essentials-scheme-certificationand are transposed into the Department’s procurement policy. There is no general requirement for all suppliers to achieve Cyber Essentials certification and the Department does not hold general data on which of its suppliers have achieved Cyber Essentials centrally. The Department commonly uses G-Cloud and Digital Services Framework for the procurement of in-scope contracts. These schemes are put in place by Government Digital Service and include comprehensive cyber security obligations. Suppliers operating under these schemes are exempt from having to conform with Cyber Essentials.

National Guardian's Office: Complaints

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many complaints have been submitted to the National Guardian's Office in each year since it was established.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the operating budget has been of the National Guardian's Office in each year since it was established.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many case reviews have been undertaken by the National Guardian's Office in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many full-time equivalent staff are employed in the National Guardian's Office.

Mr Philip Dunne: The National Guardian’s Office was established in April 2016 and Dr Henrietta Hughes was appointed as National Guardian in October 2016. The National Guardian’s role is to support whistleblowers in the National Health Service and improve reporting culture. The National Guardian advises and supports a network of individuals within NHS trusts, appointed as ‘Freedom to Speak Up Guardians’, who are responsible for developing a culture of openness in NHS trusts and NHS foundations trusts in England. The National Guardian also shares good practice, reports on national or common themes and identifies any barriers that are preventing the NHS from having a truly safe and open culture. The National Guardian is independent in her ability to make recommendations. The National Guardian’s Office has advised the Department of the following: The National Guardian’s Office has received two complaints dealt with through its published complaints procedure. The total operating budget (pay and non-pay) for the National Guardian’s Office in 2016-17 was £993,044. The total operating budget (pay and non-pay) for 2017-18 is £992,409. A 12-month pilot of the National Guardian’s Office case review process was launched in June 2017. So far, two case reviews have commenced. We expect that findings from both these reviews will be published before the end of the year. Further requests for case reviews are being considered. The National Guardian’s Office currently employs eight full-time staff; in addition the National Guardian works four days a week, practising as a general practitioner one day a week.

Genetics: Screening

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2017 to Question 8799, on genetics: screening, in what locations other than Cambridge NHS genome testing will take place.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS England is currently preparing to procure a network of genomic laboratory hubs to provide comprehensive coverage across the country. The process is currently in the pre-procurement phase and therefore the defined geographies for these hubs have not yet been confirmed.

NHS Trusts: ICT

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will provide a list of IT exemplar trusts.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS England are supporting 16 acute trusts and seven mental health trusts, through funding and international partnership opportunities, to become Global Digital Exemplars over the next two to three and a half years. A list of IT exemplar trusts is in the table attached.



PQ105184 attached doc.
(Excel SpreadSheet, 18.23 KB)

Department of Health: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers of his Department have had with the Chief Scientific Adviser in his Department in the last three months.

Mr Philip Dunne: In the past three months my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health has had three formal meetings with the Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) for Health, Chris Whitty, and the CSA has had five meetings with other Health Ministers. As this period includes August when Parliament was in recess meetings between the CSA and Ministers have been less frequent than normal.

Lyme Disease: Health Education

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve public awareness and education on Lyme disease and its prevention.

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to work with local authorities in areas where the risk of Lyme disease is higher than average to reduce the incidence of the disease.

Steve Brine: The GOV.UK and NHS Choices websites have information for patients on the recognition of Lyme disease, tick awareness and the prevention of tick bites accessible at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/lyme-disease-guidance-data-and-analysisandhttp://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Lyme-disease/Pages/Introduction.aspxThe National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Clinical Knowledge summaries have information for clinicians available at:https://cks.nice.org.uk/lyme-disease#!topicsummaryPublic Health England (PHE) hold regular training days for general practitioners (GPs), and the charity Lyme Disease Action has public information on its website and a training module for GPs. PHE run a tick surveillance system to identify tick distribution and areas where ticks are problems across England. PHE have been encouraging local authorities and park authorities to develop local public health material regarding tick risks and dealing with bites, and this has been taken up by some in high risk areas.

Pathology: Consultants

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many consultant cellular pathologists have been employed by the NHS in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mr Philip Dunne: This information is not collected centrally by NHS Digital.

NHS: Reorganisation

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the legal status is of an sustainability and transformation partnership board decision.

Steve Brine: Sustainability and transformation partnerships (STPs) are not statutory organisations, and do not have legal status or legal duties. Each STP footprint is convened by a senior leader who has agreed to chair and lead the meetings on behalf of their peers. Each footprint has agreed to its own governance and representation, and all bodies represented on the STP have agreed to abide by its decision making process.

Lyme Disease: Vaccination

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to support the development of a vaccine against Lyme disease.

Steve Brine: The Government is not currently supporting the development of a Lyme disease vaccine. The Department funds health and care research through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). Any organisation that considers it can carry out high quality clinical, applied research can apply for funding from the NIHR. The Department has commissioned an independent research team to undertake four systematic reviews to capture and synthesise United Kingdom and international evidence on Lyme disease in the following areas: epidemiology/routes of transmission of Lyme disease; diagnosis; treatment; and prevention. The reviews will be completed and published by the end of 2017.

Meningitis: Vaccination

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on vaccinations against meningitis; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: Decisions on the introduction of vaccinations into the United Kingdom immunisation programme are based on the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), an expert panel that advises the Government on all immunisation matters. Meningitis can be caused by a range of viruses and bacteria, and can be prevented by a number of vaccinations that are part of the UK programme, including three meningococcal vaccination programmes: - meningococcal group B offered to babies;- meningococcal group C offered to babies as part of a combination vaccination that also protects against Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib); and- meningococcal groups A, C, W and Y offered to adolescents in school and some school leavers/university entrants. Other vaccination programmes that have reduced common causes of meningitis include those using: - the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine;- the Hib vaccine; and- the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. The JCVI keeps all vaccination programmes under review and considers new evidence when it becomes available.